PRETORIA, South Africa – South African Paralympic champion, Oscar Pistorius, has been granted release on parole after a successful bid, the South Africa Department of Correctional Services announced on Friday.

Pistorius, who is serving a sentence of more than 13 years for the murder of model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will be released from prison on Jan. 5. The decision was made after assessing his profile and other material submitted for the purposes of parole consideration. The department stated that Pistorius, a first-time offender, had a positive support system and had completed all the programs contained in his correctional sentence plan.

The former Paralympic champion, known as the “blade runner” for his speed on carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, was convicted of murder after fatally shooting Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in 2013. Pistorius had claimed he mistook his girlfriend for a burglar.

In response to the parole board’s decision, Pistorius’s lawyer, Conrad Dormehl, expressed gratitude for the ruling while expressing disappointment that the release date was not sooner. Pistorius had initially been denied parole in March, but the decision was overturned, with the department of corrections citing a failure to account for the time Pistorius had served in prison during his murder sentence appeal.

Pistorius’s release on parole comes after years of legal battles, including having his original conviction for culpable homicide overturned by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in 2015, resulting in a guilty verdict for murder. The decision has evoked mixed reactions, with Steenkamp’s parents expressing shock and readiness to engage in dialogue with Pistorius, while maintaining their disbelief in his version of events.

As Pistorius is set to leave prison, the release raises questions about the criminal justice system and rehabilitation efforts. The parole comes with controversy and lingering public skepticism regarding Pistorius’ culpability in Steenkamp’s death.

Oscar Pistorius’s parole eligibility comes after years of legal battles, including a successful appeal that resulted in a murder conviction. Steenkamp’s family has expressed shock and readiness to engage in dialogue with Pistorius, while maintaining their disbelief in his version of events.